Next to come from the megabrand that is Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen? Jewellry.From Vogue.And Victoria Beckham's heart is crushed just a little bit more."how did too purple legging-wearing-american sitcom-grazing tween stars get more fash cred than me?"

Friday, May 30, 2008

put your hands up if you love erin wasson.or rather put your hands up if you don't.it's easier that way.

after seeing editorial after editorial with Erin Wasson I couldn't help but wonder* if she is loved as a model or as a general "kick-ass-skateboarding-shortshort-wearing-alexander-wang-loving-bulldog-hugging-i want-her-to-be-my friend" (breaath) girl crush.

It seems somehow misleading and underfair to dear Wasson that this "revival" (after all, we have seen her in a whole new way, and brushed aside the plastic maybelline images we synonymously assosiated her with) has involved featuring her in a load as magazines as, well, herself.

Rather than giving her a bit of model credit and allowing herself to dress up as a slick sexbomb or an ethreal woodland nymph she's had crinkled white shirts, fedora hats, and stringy vest tops thrown at her. All apparantly regular wardrobe favourites of the "Real Erin". And backgrounds have been pretty formulaic; beachy, sunny settings with an urban edge? check. a few boys spotted around to emphasise her tomboy status? uh huh.

And I'm not trying to preach that I don't love these eds; I certainly know we all love them; it's like they give us an insight into her not so stereotypical jetsetter lifestyle, causing sighs of "ooh, she's just like me". it just seems that shes being hard done by (i half mock; in model terms that is.)

now, discuss amongst yourselves.

*as much as I love her, that's the only Carrie Bradshaw ode you'll be getting from me anytime soon!

Thursday, May 29, 2008

A flick through cheap date can always be relied upon to bring me back to fashion earth and to reiterate what style is to me. It's the way your mate is lounging in an oversize tracksuit jacket and dusty shorts in the summer heat. The way you feel in a threadbare kimono and granny pants whilst disecting an oreo in front of Sex and The City. It's the thread that connects you with past generations and interesting eras, running through a second hand foil textured skirt. Really style is what the people all around us are wearing, because these are the people keeping the fashion industry on it's toes. That moment when someone hops on the bus at the last minute and you're hit by this frantic voice in your head, mentally nudging you, saying "oh my, look at her bag, look at the way she's tucked her top into her trousers, ahh, absorb everything before she steps off the bus again! Arrhhh."

For me, it's moments like this that style is at it's most exciting, it gives a warm feeling of uniting people and brushes the relevence of red carpet paparazzi shots to the side. It's the mutual appreciation for satisfying trying on sessions and last minute wardrobe improvisation.

Fashions are swept to the side too, granted they arguably "unite" too, but personal style is such a valid thing. I find it so satisfying to wear something that looks almost ugly on the hanger and make it so completely my own and wear it with such an air that it looks rather lovely on, and getting a buzz from feeling pleased with an outfit is something to be proud of, not ashamed of. Sofia coppola's quote springs to mind; "you're considered superficial and silly if you are interested in fashion, but I think you can be substantial and still be interested in frivolity"

three cheers for originality and the randomness of pairing that dress with that jacket!

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

since when did guys and boys sneak peeks of artfully styled lou doillon and anouck lepore under the sheets at night? playboy france's list of playmates is starting to look like the contents of my girlcrush inspiration files. albeit more scantily clad.

i kind of feel sorry to the guys, whose magazine seems to have been taken over by the fashion elite. either way, evidently it's time that playboy made it's way out from under the bed and unashamedly, slapbang, plainview onto the bedside table. my bedside table.

i thought french vogue was hard enough to find. god dammit, how do i get my mitts on this?

a bit much? eesh, yes, it's valentine fillol cordier. a name made for a playmate. 1/2008

Monday, May 26, 2008

thank you for the wise comments left to the last post. 16 sex and the city episodes and three slices of cake later.. an inspiration collage and amusing quotes courtesy of those amusing fashionistas.

Marc Jacobs assures us that Victoria Beckham, like, totally gets irony; "I'm fascinated by pop culture, and people's fascination with her... As soon as I saw her after the Louis Vuitton show for spring/summer 2008, when she came backstage, I got the idea and went to see her at the Ritz. We spoke about the irony and perversity of it, and she totally got it."

"I have zero control. I couldn't pay my rent this summer because I had to have the Balenciaga gladiators in every color available." Um, and your landlord didn't just throw you out, Kate Lanphear?

Lesley Arfin dishes the perks of having Ms Sevigny as a mate; "I occasionally get her hand-me-downs. Once she gave me a pale pink Lil' Orphan Annie dress; another time I got a little boy's military jacket à la Michael Jackson."

Coco Rocha loves a bit of the airbrush; "People might look at a picture of me and say, "Wow, I wish I had her body", but they should realise that I often look at a picture of myself and say, "Wow, I wish I had my body."

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Now. I am fully aware that this blog has been the home to some Vogue-Bashing in the past. As much as I appreciate that there is a hell of a lot more to a fashion magazine Editor in Chief than fetish worthy heels and fur vests (though it helps) and that really it all comes down to advertisers, I am still a little baffled by the fact that Vogue UK’s Boss was apparently chosen for her business head over a love of Givenchy heels.

I said it. Nothing new there.

But I must say, and I am willing to admit it, without any gritting of teeth, that Ms Shulman did a fine job ofleaving “Mr and Mrs Bay Garnett” in charge of this month’s editorial “On The Road”. As much as I moan about the publication, I really do love stylist Bay Garnett, and applaud the fact that both she and Hadley Freeman are contributing editors; they seem so refreshing amongst the rest of more polished Voguettes.

The editorial sees Amber Valetta (an unusual but perfect choice) as an American small town girl, with a wee injection of rocky trailer trash. Styled in a bubblegum pink mini skirt, glossy sequins and shredded denim and some studs thrown in for good measure, she is the updated cowgirl, thankfully minus the hat.

Photography Tom Craig specialises in documentary photography, which gives the fashion story a very real edge; Amber's "character" is very believeable, looking a little on the verge of a glamourous meltdown.

This ed also came at the perfect time. A post over at Tjejsajten has me thinking over the last week of the "double denim" rule. The problem starts with the denim jacket. There are many times that I have gone to walk out of the door, slung said jacket on, and realised that I would have to remove it because I was wearing denim shorts. I'm never one to play by the "fashion rules" but this rule seems very logical. However, I thought to myself, there must be a way of rocking double denim without looking like a washed up cowboy.

The answer? Quite simply, yes there is. Bay Garnett has answered my prayers, and I shall begin to experiment over the next week.

ps, i'm sorry Alex, but just one thing I won't allow to rest. why is agyness on the cover?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

many of you are fellow french voguettes and so will have already leafed through these pages. but for the rest of you, i wanted to post these clippings with a peek into vanessa traina's home. there is something so fascinating about having a poke around someone else's home, and this is particularly the case when the occupant in question styled that Row video. this feature came just at the right time; i'm preparing to move rooms and am collecting lots of interiors ideas. perfecte.

Monday, May 12, 2008

i'm so very glad of roisin murphy's existence. sometimes i wander who else could possess her fearless power to rock the more difficult ensembles from a designer's collection to such an "undoubtable tee."gareth pugh on a bus. viktor and rolf stage lit dress on a street corner. martin margiela to a premiere..

she can always be relied upon to satisfy our senses; fusing perfectly sound and visuals and the bloody marvelous music video for "you know me better" is living proof.

i stumbled across some rather sacred text; Claire Edmondson, who styled the video with roisin shares the love and the ideas behind the outfits. and "fyi", she put Feist in that blue sequined jumpsuit in her music video for "1, 2, 3, 4", so clearly she's good news.

Claire Edmondson “Roisin is really inspiring, she brings so much to the table. Usually at a fitting you pull out things and everyone gets really scared. But I’d show Roisin something and she’d say ‘yeah its amazing, and what about this?’ She was embracing everything I had and wanting to push it further."

“The green dress and pink hotpants, that’s a vintage look. There were so many costume changes you can’t really plan them ahead of time. I just did a massive, massive shop basically and then you start building outfits from there. That green dress I knew would be great somewhere, I just didn’t know in what context, but it would end up in the video. And it turned out to be a really strong look, I really like that one. And the ruff again is by a local designer."

Ever read something on this blog that touched you, made you guffaw, or that you passed onto a friend because you thought they might like it? If so, would you like to buy me a coffee to enjoy whilst I write?